M. Guzman

Four East Texans charged with money laundering last week are accused of running an illegal poker room operation in Smith County and taking cuts using online money transfers, police documents show.

Jacksonville residents Stuart Hendricks, 42, and Graciela Perez, 23, along with Tyler residents Blanca Guzman, 26, and Martin Guzman, 47, were all booked Wednesday into the Smith County Jail.

Hendricks and Perez have $1 million bonds and remained jailed on Monday. The Guzmans, who are father and daughter, had $100,000 bonds and were released Thursday.

According to an arrest affidavit, a residence, where police learned Martin Guzman and Hendricks live, in Tyler was being used as a high-stakes poker room. Police describe the operation as a poker room that takes a “rake” or house cut.

The document said the money is then moved by Blanca Guzman and Perez using CashApp, Venmo and other applications to hide that the money is being obtained through criminal activity.

During a traffic stop on Oct. 9, Hendricks’ cellphone was seized along with $23,000 that police believe is a part of illegal gambling proceeds.

Through a search of his cellphone, investigators found ledgers, poker table rosters, text messages, videos and photos of an illegal poker game in Smith County run by Hendricks and others, the affidavit stated.

Text messages and notes referenced a “rake” or house take connected to these poker games several times. Receiving an economic benefit other than a personal win is considered illegal under Texas law, the document read.

Police said in the affidavit that Hendricks operated illegal gambling activities. Hendricks and Martin Guzman are convicted felons, and they also negotiated the purchase of three firearms from one of the gambling participants.

Hendricks doesn’t have any work history but he did receive unemployment benefits during 2020, the affidavit stated. Messages showed communication that Martin Guzman also operated the illegal gambling place.

According to the affidavit, Blanca Guzman received money for gambling debts to her Venmo and placed the funds into a bank account. Hendricks instructed her to withdraw the money as cash and to give it to him or her father.

Perez, who is Hendricks’ girlfriend, actively helped in recruiting players as well as women to entertain players, according to the document. She would send screenshots of her CashApp and Venmo accounts to Hendricks after receiving payments from illegal gambling participants.

The affidavit also mentions Luis Alberto Sandoval, a former Smith County deputy accused of using official information to help someone connected to drug trafficking in Mexico, communicated with Hendricks about placing sports bets or wagers with Hendricks, who then set up an account for him to place bets online.

In July, Sandoval admitted to police he played poker and placed sports bets. He also admitted to making payments to Hendricks using online money transfer accounts and in person, the affidavit read.

Sandoval was charged with misuse of official information Aug. 11. He was fired before his arrest.

An arrest affidavit stated Sandoval admitted criminal associates asked him to conduct driver’s license and arrest warrant checks for them.

Investigators also viewed Hendricks’ bank records and text messages to show every deposit was either a large cash amount or an online money transfer from one of Hendrick’s conspirators or a known poker player, according to the affidavit.

From January 2019 through May this year, the account showed about $270,000 deposited into the Hendricks’ account. In September, roughly $29,000 was seized from Hendricks’ savings account, the document stated.